


Everything Changes

by SmoISuppose



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drabble, F/M, Family, Gay Will Byers, Lonnie Byers is a terrible father, Post-Season/Series 02, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-03-09 16:27:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13485354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoISuppose/pseuds/SmoISuppose
Summary: A series of snapshots about Nancy and Jonathan's relationship, from just after season 2 to the early 90s. The plans they make, and how they change as life gets in the way. Jancy focused, with some background Mileven and Jopper. More about the characters than the plot.





	1. The Slut and the Perv

It was Jonathan’s first day back at school after everything – freeing Will from the Mind Flayer, El closing the gate, _Nancy_ – and he was a nervous wreck. Partly about leaving his mom and Will at home but mostly, he had to admit, about seeing Nancy. Or, more specifically, about seeing her in public. They’d managed to snatch a few moments together at his house in the last few days, and everything had been great (or at least as great as it could be when they couldn’t get any privacy). But would she really want to face the reality of actually being with Jonathan Byers, Hawkins High’s resident loner, weirdo and perv? Or, as Nancy herself had put it last year, _pretentious creep_.

As he walked into school, he squared his shoulders, bracing himself for the worst. It would totally make sense for Nancy to blow him off now that things were back to normal. But when he turned into the corridor where his locker was and saw her leaning against it, waiting there for him, all he could think was how beautiful she was, and how she made him feel …

She grinned at him, and his stomach did summersaults. He wanted to grab her, cup her face in his hands and kiss her just as passionately as he had that night at Bauman’s, but he hung back, already conscious of how people were looking at him. At _them_.

‘Hey,’ he said weakly, pushing his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out for her. ‘It’s good to see you.’ _God, why is this so awkward? Everything we’ve been through together, and I’m freaking out over a simple conversation._

‘Hey yourself,’ said Nancy, a teasing glint in her eyes as she stepped towards him. She reached up and grabbed his collar with both hands, pulling his face towards her for an intense kiss. It nearly knocked him off balance, but then he leaned into it, looping his hands around her back to pull her body closer to his.

He thought he heard someone behind him say, ‘Ugh, that’s disgusting,’ once they finally came up for air, but he didn’t really care. In that moment the whole world was reduced to just him and Nancy, and the electricity between them.

‘Hey,’ he said again, soft and breathy this time. ‘I wasn’t sure what – I mean, I didn’t know whether – It’s just, I know that people gave you a hard time last year, after – when that stupid rumour was going around.’ He could seem to form a coherent sentence, but it didn’t matter, because he knew that Nancy understood. Somehow she knew him better than he knew himself.

‘Yeah … the last couple of days haven’t been great. My first day back someone had written _slut_ on my locker, and I was late to first period because it took so long to clean it off. And then yesterday morning I discovered that someone had carved the word _whore_ on there instead.’

‘Fucking assholes …’ Jonathan rubbed her shoulder, but after a moment his look of concern changed to a cheeky half-smile. ‘But y’know, that’s a lot more labour-intensive than _slut_. At least someone out there really cares enough to make the effort.’

Nancy laughed. ‘Yeah, I’m totally touched by their concern.’ She leaned into him again, nestling her head into the crook of his neck. ‘But it got me thinking … it’s actually kind of great.’

Jonathan looked unconvinced. ‘In what way?’

Nancy grinned, looking up at him. ‘Well, I’m a slut and you’re a perv – we can do whatever the hell we want! We could have sex right here in front of your locker and people would just roll their eyes and say, _that’s exactly what I’d expect from those two_. It’s kind of … liberating, right?’

Jonathan felt his face turn bright red, but he didn’t loosen his grip on her waist. ‘So what you’re saying is, you want me to press you up against my locker right now?’

Now it was Nancy’s turn to blush. ‘Well, not _right_ now. I have a calculus test first period.’ She rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek, then whispered in his ear, ‘But meet me at your car at lunch, okay?’

With that she turned and walked away, glancing over her shoulder as she left. Jonathan just stood there, grinning idiotically and feeling like he’d been hit by a truck. Was this actually happening? He’d just been sharing some morning PDA with the girl of his dreams, and now he had to somehow make it through a whole morning of classes before he could find out what she had in store for him next.


	2. The Rumour Mill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hawkins High rumour mill moves on to juicier subjects, the Monster Hunting Trio works things out, and Nancy and Jonathan think about the future. (Not a very eventful chapter, sorry! Some cute moments, but mostly scene-setting stuff.)

As the weeks went by, the gossip mill of Hawkins High more or less got over the fact that Nancy Wheeler had cheated on and/or dumped Steve Harrington for Jonathan Byers, and they became just another couple around the school. For one thing, juicy stories about the new guy from the west coast were a lot more entertaining than another high school love triangle.

_Billy nearly killed Steve for, like, no reason._

_My cousin told me Billy was in juvie back in California._

_I heard Billy slept with someone’s mom!_

Nancy’s friends got to know Jonathan a bit more. They still didn’t totally understand why she’d chosen an artsy loner over Steve (who would probably be Prom King this year), but they saw that Jonathan was funny and smart, and actually pretty cute. Besides, he was totally devoted to Nancy, and that was adorable.

It also helped that Steve was on friendly terms with both of them, and had told anyone who’d listen that Jonathan wasn’t responsible for the beating he’d taken the same week as the break-up.

On the last day before winter break, Nancy and Jonathan were in the cafeteria – the Indiana winter had started to bite, so lunches on the hood of his car were no longer an option. He’d brought a sandwich from home, as usual, while she picked at the cafeteria’s lasagne, trying to figure out what kind of meat its grey, gristly filling was made from. They were chatting about their Christmas plans when Steve flopped down opposite them.

‘Hey, lovebirds,’ he said with a grin, reaching across the table to steal one of Jonathan’s chips. ‘Cancel your New Year’s plans – you’re coming to my party.’

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you sure you want us there? I’m not exactly the life of the party, and Nancy’s been known to get a little _too_ festive at these things.’ His girlfriend elbowed him in the ribs at that, but with a wry smile.

Steve nodded. ‘That’s a fair point. Jonathan, make sure to keep this one away from the punch.’

‘I hate you both,’ said Nancy.

‘No you don’t,’ said Jonathan, smiling. He turned back to his former rival. ‘No problem. I’ll make sure she sticks to vodka – she’s much friendlier on vodka.’

Nancy turned bright red. She tried to glower at Jonathan, but couldn’t suppress a giggle. He winked at her in response.

‘O-kay! I do _not_ what to know what that is about. Just come, all right? I want you guys to be there.’ With that Steve took off, moving on to charm more potential partygoers. Nancy watched him smiling and laughing with the next table. She was glad to see him looking so happy, and she hoped it wasn’t just for show. Even though she felt so relieved to have come clean about her true feelings, she hated that she’d hurt him in the process. He was a sweet guy, and more sensitive than most people realised.

She turned back to Jonathan. ‘We should go to his party. We don’t have to stay the whole time, but it could be a nice way to cap off the year – and if it sucks we can always leave and have our own private celebration somewhere else.’

Jonathan grinned at that, and leaned in to nuzzle her neck. ‘Mmm. Sounds good to me…’

 

*

 

The final semester of their junior year was blissfully uneventful. Nancy’s heart swelled to see the transformation in her little brother. Mike had spent the previous year pining after El, and gradually withdrawing into himself, and it had been terrible to see him suffer like that. But now it was like someone had switched on a light inside him. Even though he couldn’t see El much – Hopper was determined to protect her until he was sure the coast was clear – just knowing that this girl who meant so much to him was alive and back in his life had reinvigorated him.

Will was healthy and seemed to have his old spark again – he was finally getting back to the sweet, bubbly kid he’d been before November 1983. Nancy still had regular dinners with Mr and Mrs Holland, but now it was only once a month, and their conversations about Barb felt like a celebration of her friend’s memory rather than a form of torture. Mrs Holland even had the energy to make proper dinners again (which wasn’t altogether a positive thing – Barb’s mom was _not_ a good cook).

And, of course, there was Jonathan. They spent as much time together as they could possibly manage. Any day when he didn’t have a shift at the theatre, she’d go over to his house after school. God bless Mrs Byers for working! If they’d been at the Wheeler house, her mom would have been constantly hovering, offering them snacks and drinks and insisting that they keep the bedroom door open. (No, scratch that – she probably wouldn’t let Jonathan go upstairs at all.)

Of course, as much as Nancy loved taking advantage of their privacy, she also made sure they got plenty of studying done too. Keeping up her GPA was incredibly important to her, especially as college got closer, and it was nice to have a boyfriend who felt the same way. She knew Jonathan would need some kind of financial aid to go to college, even here in Indiana. To be able to go to his dream school, NYU, he’d probably need a full scholarship. So he worked his (cute) butt off in class, and signed up for the school paper and yearbook, and volunteered at events like the Snow Ball, to help round out his applications.

They didn’t talk too much about what going away to college would mean. When she found out NYU was his top pick, she sent off for their brochures herself, and for ones from Barnard and the newly co-ed Columbia as well. She didn’t like to think of herself as the type of girl who would pick a school based on some boy, but Jonathan wasn’t just _some boy_. Maybe it was because of the intense circumstances in which they’d gotten together, or maybe they were just meant to be. Whatever the reason, she knew that she and Jonathan were soulmates, and when she thought about her future she couldn’t imagine him not being part of it.

If she was being totally honest with herself, though, her top school was Northwestern. When she was 12 she’d gone there with her mom to visit her cousin Julia, and fallen in love with the campus, and Julia’s dorm, and just the whole atmosphere. Since then, whenever she heard the word _college_ it was Northwestern that she pictured. Besides, it was one of the best schools in the country. She didn’t really have a clue what she wanted to do with her life, but she knew she’d have plenty of options there.

Much to her relief, Steve had eventually gotten his act together and sent off some applications. He’d even let her critique his revised essay, and this time he’d been a lot more receptive to feedback. One lunchtime in early April he’d proudly announced to her and Jonathan that he’d been accepted at IU East, ‘So I’ll at least have a few years reprieve before I inevitably start working for my asshole dad.’

The three of them still hung out, but less since he’d starting dating Nicole – the girl who’d ratted out Jonathan when she saw the photos he’d taken of the party at Steve’s house that night. There was no animosity on Jonathan’s side – just profound embarrassment for what he’d done, and what Nicole (and Steve, and most of all Nancy) must think of him for doing something so … _weird_. Nicole in turn seemed pretty underwhelmed by both Jonathan and Nancy, and confused by their friendship with Steve. Nancy had always figured the redhead had been trying to use the photos as a way to cosy up to Steve, so she wasn’t exactly surprised when the two had gotten together. But she liked Nicole, and she was glad to see Steve happy, and with a girl who really appreciated him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the only time Billy is mentioned in this fic! He just doesn't interest me.


	3. Everything Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's October of 1985, and life is good ... until something goes wrong, with potentially huge consequences.

It was October of 1985, and life was good. Jonathan Byers, weirdo, loner and school outcast, had an incredible girlfriend, a job he actually liked (and which let him help out his mom), and a group of friends to hang out with at lunch. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly cool for a senior to hang out with a group of freshman nerds, but Jonathan was loving being at the same school as Will for the first time in years.

He’d always maintained that he didn’t really want friends anyway, and that most kids at school were fake and superficial, which was convenient given that no one had wanted to hang out with him since his best friend Gary had moved to Ohio in fifth grade. But he loved that Will had such a tight group of friends. Loyal, protective Mike, funny and curious Dustin, smart and fierce Lucas, tough and rebellious Max – he knew that all of them cared about his little brother almost as much as he did.

One of the strongest – and most surprising – bonds that Will had formed was with El (or Jane, as Jonathan always forgot to call her). She’d finally been made ‘official’ in August. The public story was that she was Hopper’s niece, sent to live with him after a tough childhood, and that she’d been home-schooled until now. Of course there were plenty of rumours about her – most seemed to revolve around the idea that she’d been raised in a cult – but as the weeks had passed people just seemed to accept her presence.

A couple of more popular groups had tried to win over the beautiful, if slightly odd, newcomer, but El was inextricably a member of the party. She’d overcome her initial suspicions to become good friends with Max (who, as much as she prided herself on not being a girly girl, clearly appreciated having a female friend). But apart from Mike, El’s closest friend was Will. The two just seemed drawn to each other, as though the Upside Down had forged a connection between them that no one else could understand.

Jonathan could see that Mike wasn’t totally comfortable with his best friend and his crush being so close, and it made him a little worried for Will. He was 99% certain that Will wasn’t interested in El (or any girl) in the way that Mike was, but he could see that it might drive a wedge between the best friends as time went on.

He and Nancy were as strong as ever. The two of them just seemed to fit together, like puzzle pieces. As they entered their final year of high school the prospect of being separated next year loomed overhead. Neither of them had gotten any acceptance letters yet. He knew Northwestern was Nancy’s top pick. He’d considered it, but decided it wasn’t right for him. He had, however, applied to a bunch of schools relatively nearby – UIC, SAIC, IU Northwest. Just to be within a couple of hours of her would be enough.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now, things were good.

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and he wasn’t rostered on at the theatre, so Nancy had come over. Once they’d finished revising chapter 10 of their history textbook, they’d started fooling around. They always made the most of these times when they had the house to themselves, so things moved pretty quickly. Now he was inside her, leaning over her with his arms braced on either side of her head. He was building up speed as she moaned his name and cried out all the things she wanted him to do to her.

They’d been together for almost a year, but were still just as hungry for each other as they’d been that first night. The night he’d thought would probably be his one and only night with this beautiful, fearless, passionate girl who, for reasons he still couldn’t quite comprehend, wanted _him_.

‘Ohh, Nancy,’ he murmured, no longer in control of his own voice. ‘Oh my god. Baby, that feels so good.’ A tiny part of him had enough detachment to be embarrassed by the inane clichés that came out of his mouth in these moments, but most of him was just overcome by the sensations of her walls fluttering around his cock, her hot breath against his neck, and her nails digging into his shoulders as she moaned his name.

He sensed that she was about to come, which was a relief, because he knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. He let himself tip over the edge, and everything felt so _good_ – until all of a sudden it felt wrong.

‘Shit. Shit shit shit shit.’

‘Jonathan, what’s wrong? Is it something I did?’ Nancy asked, her voice full of concern.

‘No, you were great!’ he said. ‘It’s just – I think –’ Unable to articulate his concern, he carefully pulled out and looked down, only to see his worst fear confirmed: the condom had broken. A split had opened up along one side, and his cum had obviously leaked out of it. ‘Shit shit shit. I’m so sorry! I don’t know how it happened.’

Nancy just stared at the condom, all the colour draining from her face. They’d both regretted how reckless they’d been that first time, and had always taken precautions since. The week after their parents had found out they were a couple, Jonathan had come home from work one night to find that Joyce had left a box of condoms on his bed with a note that simply read _Be safe!_ He was mortified, but also grateful. All this was so new to him that the idea of going into a drugstore to buy condoms seemed too embarrassing to contemplate. He’d soon gotten over that, though. He and Nancy had managed to always be careful, no matter how desperate they were for each other’s touch. (It also helped that Nancy had shown him there were plenty of _other_ ways they could satisfy each other.)

Nancy leapt off the bed and rushed to the bathroom. He followed and found her in the shower, trying to flush herself out with the water.

‘I’m so sorry!’ he said again, feeling completely ineffectual. ‘It might not – I mean, the odds are pretty small, right? Do you even know if this is the right time, for, you know …’

‘No. I’m not sure. It’s probably fine.’ Nancy couldn’t meet his eye, and he knew she felt just has panicked and powerless as he did.

The next few weeks were some of the most stressful of his life – which, given the events of the last couple of years, was really saying something. It felt like he was back in those dark woods, calling Nancy’s name and desperately wondering where she was. Knowing she was close but that there was nothing he could do to help her. Neither of them said a word about it to anyone, but everyone could tell there was some kind of strain in their relationship.

He was sitting on his bed one night, staring down at a chemistry problem he’d read about fifty times but couldn’t seem to comprehend, when his mom knocked on the door. ‘Sweetie? Can I come in?’

‘Yeah, of course,’ he said, trying to sound relaxed and failing miserably. He didn’t know why he ever bothered trying to fool Joyce Byers; she always saw through him.

She came in and perched on the edge of his bed. She reached out one hand and rested it gently on her firstborn’s knee. ‘I just wanted to see how you’re doing. Is everything okay with you and Nancy? She didn’t come over for dinner this week.’

‘Yeah, no. We’re good. It’s just – stressful, you know? Senior year and everything.’ He tried to smile at his mom, but he knew it didn’t look very convincing.

‘Aha – so that’s what’s worrying you. Everything’s changing, and it feels like the future is rushing at you.’ Joyce looked pleased with herself for having worked it out. ‘Don’t worry, sweetie – you’ll figure it all out. If you and Nancy are meant to be, you’ll find a way to make it work, even if you end up in different parts of the country next year.’

Jonathan frowned. What did she mean _if_? He and Nancy _were_ meant to be, and it bothered him when adults assumed that this was just some teen romance that would fizzle out. As far as he was concerned, she was a part of him and he was a part of her, and that’s all there was to it. He _loved_ her, just as deeply and powerfully as he loved his family. She _was_ his family.

That was the moment when Jonathan realised something that he hadn’t been able to face until now: there was a part of him that wanted Nancy to be pregnant. Wanted to make a family with her, even though it would derail all their plans. But to hell with it, they’d just make new plans! Nothing was set in stone anyway.

He loved Nancy Wheeler, and he would be there for her, no matter what.


	4. Making it Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy braces herself to face reality.

Nancy’s period due date came and went, but she couldn’t bring herself to take a pregnancy test. Wasn’t ready to make this real yet.

She told herself there were plenty of other reasons for a late or skipped period. The most obvious one was stress, and she’d certainly been doing a lot of that since that broken condom. Or maybe she hadn’t been eating properly, or there was some weird chemical in the water supply, or she’d been spending so much time with El and Max that her cycle had started to sync with theirs, and her period would show up any day now, any day.

But deep down she knew. She just felt … different, in a way that she couldn’t entirely define. She starting waking up with nausea rumbling in her belly, which didn’t fade all day. _That could just be stress, too,_ she told herself.

Finally, a month after that fateful Tuesday, she made Jonathan drive her to a drugstore three towns away, where she was sure they wouldn’t run into anyone, and she bought four different brands of pregnancy test. Back at his house, she used one after the other until all four came back with the same answer: _pregnant_.

Her breath caught in her throat. _Pregnant_. Nancy Wheeler, the straight-A student with a bright future, the girl who was so sure that she’d never end up like her mother, a young parent in a small town, was pregnant before she’d even graduated high school.

‘So I guess this is really happening,’ said Jonathan softly, pulling her close to him as they sat side by side on his bed staring down at the four positive tests. ‘Are you … How do you feel?’

Nancy let out a deep breath. ‘I don’t know. I kind of don’t feel anything. It just so … big, you know?’

Jonathan gave one of those little half-smiles she found so irresistible. ‘Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.’

Nancy tried to focus. She knew that what she needed was a plan – that was how she’d coped with her best friend’s disappearance, with having been in the Upside Down, with getting justice for Barb. She looked at all the facts and worked out a plan of action. ‘All the leaflets with these tests say that you should go to the doctor to confirm, so I guess that’s what we should do now. I’ll find somewhere and see if I can make an appointment, maybe for Thursday after school. Could you take me? If you’re not working, I mean.’

Jonathan nodded, looking slightly incredulous. ‘Of course I’ll go with you! Whatever you need, I’m there, okay? We’re in this together. I love you, Nancy.’

‘I love you too,’ she said as she rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and trying to block out everything but how secure she felt in his arms.


	5. Confirmation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy and Jonathan have to make a decision. She may be the queen of research, lists and strategies, but this is the toughest challenge they've ever faced. Warning: it gets corny.

At the clinic (once again, a few towns away), a doctor confirmed that she was pregnant. Nancy had been doing some surreptitious research (of course), and had seemingly dozens of questions. The doctor answered each of them in detail, evidently impressed by her young patient’s diligence. Jonathan dutifully took notes. It felt good to have something to do, and he suspected his notes would be needed – both of them were still a little shell-shocked, and probably weren’t taking much in.

Driving home, they talked about pretty much anything except what was happening – their upcoming history midterm, the incredible mosaic Will was constructing in the shed for a school project, the increasingly flimsy excuses Hopper was finding to drop by and see Joyce.

But they couldn’t put it off forever. The next day at lunch, they sat in Jonathan’s car with his notes, and the various brochures the clinic had given them, spread across their laps. They read over everything together, but didn’t say much. It was all still – so _big_.

Eventually, Nancy pulled out her notebook and turned to the back with a determined, take-no-prisoners expression on her face. ‘Look, we’re just going to have to make a decision, okay?’

Jonathan had seen that look before. The first time was the morning he’d woken up in her bed to find her surrounded by books, researching and making notes on how to lure and destroy the creature that had almost killed her the night before. (That was also the moment his feelings for her tipped over from crush into full-blown infatuation.)

‘Basically, we have three options. Keep the baby, give it up for adoption, or have a termination. So we need to think about each option, list the pros and cons, and work out which one is best.’

So that’s what they did for the rest of the lunch break, and after school, and that night on the phone (speaking in whispers, in case any parents or siblings overheard). Jonathan was reluctant to speak up too much. He wanted Nancy to know that she wasn’t in this alone; that he was totally invested. But at the same time, he knew that she was the one who would be most affected, whichever option they chose.

By one a.m. Nancy was sitting on her bed surrounded by lists, but feeling no closer to a decision. It was so frustrating! Her whole life had been about finding out the answers – how to get good grades, how to make a cute boy like you, how to avenge your best friend’s supernatural murder. But this was a question that didn’t seem to have a right answer. There were pros and cons for every choice, and they all seemed reasonable! She’d read the pros for one and think _Of course! That’s obviously what we should do_. Then she’d read the cons and say _Oh, those are all good points. That’s definitely not the right way to go._

That was their life for the next week: still spending every moment possible together, but using the time to try to solve this riddle. Eventually, one afternoon in his car, Jonathan took the lists from her hands, lifted her chin gently with his index finger, and looked into her eyes.

‘Let’s forget about pros and cons lists for a second. Right in this moment, without overthinking it, what is your gut telling you to do?’

She met his gaze. ‘What’s _your_ gut telling you?’

He smiled. ‘It’s saying that I should know better than to try to tell Nancy Wheeler what to do.’

‘Good instincts, Byers,’ she said, touching a quick kiss to his lips. ‘I … I want to keep the baby. I love you, and I love _us_. I guess I’ve been thinking that we’ll eventually have kids for a while now … and even though this isn’t how I saw it happening, I think we should just go for it.’

For a moment it felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the car. Neither of them breathed as they stared into each other’s eyes for a long beat.

Then Jonathan’s face cracked into a smile, possibly the most open and genuine smile she’d ever seen on this shy, reserved boy. ‘That’s what I think too,’ he said resting his forehead against hers.

Both of them knew they had a tough road ahead, and a million more difficult decisions to make. But for now they just luxuriated in this moment, in being together and about to set off on an amazing journey.


	6. Within Your Reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy had put off buying a dress for the Winter Formal as long as possible, worried that she might start showing at any moment and end up with a dress she couldn’t zip up. Finally, the weekend before the dance, her mom drove her and Holly to the big mall outside of Cooperstown for some ‘girl time’.

Nancy had put off buying a dress for the Winter Formal as long as possible, worried that she might start showing at any moment and end up with a dress she couldn’t zip up. Finally, the weekend before the dance, her mom drove her and Holly to the big mall outside of Cooperstown for some ‘girl time’.

It was really nice, actually. Nancy and her mom hadn’t spent that much time hanging out in the last couple of years. Right through to the end of freshman year, Nancy had basically been Karen’s shadow, but then she’d distanced herself, wanting to carve out her own identity. She loved her mom to death, but felt like she didn’t understand her or her life choices.

But as they drove to the mall, chatting and laughing, it was as though Nancy’s teenage rebellion had never happened. They talked about the formal, and midterms, and Mike’s adorably ridiculous freak-out last night over what to get El for Christmas.

‘Have you got a present for Jonathan yet?’ Karen asked. ‘We could look for something today, once we’ve found you a dress.’

‘No, I haven’t gotten anything yet – that’s a good idea,’ Nancy replied. ‘I want it to be something special. He always comes up with really thoughtful gifts, so it’s hard to live up to.’

Karen glanced across at her daughter in the passenger seat, smiling affectionately. ‘I am sure he will love whatever you give him – he’s completely smitten with you.’

Nancy blushed. ‘Yeah. I’m pretty lucky.’

‘Hey, he’s the one who’s lucky! But it’s nice to see you so happy.’

Nancy paused. This seemed like it could be an opportunity to tell her mom what was going on, but she didn’t want to risk ruining the nicest outing they’d had together in years. (She also didn’t want to say anything in front of Holly – the little girl in the back seat seemed to be entranced by the My Little Pony she’d insisted on bringing, but Nancy had learned from experience that her sister was _always_ listening.)

Instead, she decided to start laying the groundwork for a future conversation. ‘Well yeah, he’s obviously very lucky … he really is great, though. I love how much he cares about his mom and Will, and how sweet he is to me. Plus, he’s very mature and responsible.’

Karen laughed. ‘I didn’t realise those were your chief requirement in a boyfriend! You know you don’t have to sell me on Jonathan, right? I think he’s a lovely boy, and it’s great that you two are together.’

‘Thanks, Mom. That really does mean a lot to me – that you like him. We’re … we’re very serious about each other.’

‘I know, sweetie.’ Karen stole another glance across at her eldest. She was a little unsure where all this was coming from, but she loved that Nancy was confiding in her.

They’d planned to check out about half a dozen clothing shops at the mall, but in the second store they found a dress that Nancy declared to be The One. It was soft and feminine, with ruffles along the neckline and hem, and lace on the skirt. The pale colours – white and mushroom pink – felt appropriately wintery, even though it was sleeveless.

‘What do you think?’ she asked her mom and sister as she stepped out of the fitting room.

‘You look like a princess!’ said Holly approvingly.

‘Oh, Nancy,’ her mom said, sighing. ‘It’s just gorgeous.’ But then she frowned, her eyes coming to rest on Nancy’s bust. ‘When was the last time you got fitted for bra? It looks like you might need to go up a cup size. How about we visit Macy’s after this and get them to take your measurements?’

Nancy blushed furiously. ‘Oh my god, Mom!’

In Macy’s, Nancy got three everyday bras in a new size (which she hoped she wouldn’t outgrow too quickly), plus a very pretty set to wear with the formal dress. Then they moved on to the next shopping objective: a Christmas present for Jonathan.

She dragged her mom into store after store, but couldn’t find anything that seemed just right. Eventually they ended up in the record store. She was browsing through a bin labelled ‘Direct from the UK!’, trying to remember whether he already owned _Meat is Murder_ , when she looked up and saw the poster.

_The Replacements, with the Zero Boys, live in Indianapolis, New Year’s Eve! All ages. Doors open 9pm. Tickets only $7.00._

It was perfect – the Replacements were one of Jonathan’s favourite bands, and she liked them a lot too. He’d put ‘Within Your Reach’ and ‘Answering Machine’ on the first mixtape he’d made for her, and she thought they were some of the most romantic songs she’d ever heard. Plus, it would solve the problem of what to do on New Year’s – 1986 was going to be the most important year of their lives, and she wanted to make sure it started in the best way possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based Nancy's dress on the one Natalia wore to the season 2 premiere. Though, given that it's 1985, Nancy's is probably much uglier/less flattering.  
> The Replacements are one of my favourite 80s bands, and very much Jonathan's vibe - punk yet sensitive. The Lost Boys were an Indianapolis punk band I didn't know about until researching this chapter!


	7. What to Expect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen and Joyce find out, and have very different reactions.

As Jonathan’s LTD cruised down the highway just after sunrise on 1 January, 1986, his girlfriend serenaded him from the passenger seat.

_‘Because I’m craaaazy for youuuu…’_

They may have spent the night at a punk rock show, but Nancy had tuned the radio to a top 40 station for the drive home. Partly because it was more to her taste, and partly to tease Jonathan. He actually thought this was an okay song, but he played along.

‘Oh my god, stop! You’re erasing the memory of all the incredible music we heard at the show.’

Nancy just smiled and continued with her Madonna impersonation.

It had been a great night. The concert had been crowded and loud and sweaty, but cathartic too. There was something about being in a room with 200 other people, all dancing and singing and generally rocking out together. At certain moments, when everyone somehow came into alignment, it almost felt transcendent.

The show had ended a little before two, but a girl Nancy had met in the line for the ladies’ room invited them to a party afterwards. Linda was a freshman at Purdue, and most of the kids at the party were college students too. They’d chatted with Linda and her friends for a while before falling asleep on a couch. A little after 6, Nancy had woken him, shaking his shoulder and whispering, ‘Come on, we’d better get going.’ Neither of their moms had set an exact curfew, and they’d figured normal rules didn’t apply on new year’s … but they should probably at least try to get home before breakfast.

As the radio segued from Madonna to Tears for Fears, Nancy fell silent. She stared out the window for a moment before turning back to Jonathan.

‘So, I, um … I almost told my mom a couple days ago,’ she said, biting her lip.

‘What made you change your mind?’

‘Mike came in, all outraged over some comment Dustin had made about his latest campaign. And also I guess I just chickened out – I really don’t know how she’s going to react, but I doubt it will be a fun conversation.’

‘Yeah, same. I’m still not sure what I’m gonna say.’

Nancy grimaced. ‘Me either. But I’d better come up with a plan soon, before she notices anything.’

But when she got home, she found out it was a little late for that.

Most of the Wheeler household was asleep, but Karen must have been awake and listening for the door – as soon as Nancy flopped down on her bed, hoping to catch another couple of hours sleep, her mom was there at the bedroom door, looking stern.

‘We need to have a conversation, young lady,’ she said, fixing her daughter with a steely look.

Nancy hoped this was just about staying out all night. ‘Sorry for getting home so late. We were hanging out with some kids we met at the concert, and it just seemed like a good idea not to be driving in the middle of the night when it’s so icy out.’

‘This isn’t about that, Nancy. Though maybe if I’d spent more time worrying about where you go and what you get up to I wouldn’t have found _this_ under your bed.’ Karen held up something she’d been holding behind her back until now: Nancy’s heavily annotated copy of _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_. ‘Is there something you’d like to say?’

‘I … I was going to tell you this week.’ It sounded pathetic when she said it out loud like that. Suddenly feeling very overwhelmed, Nancy put her head in her hands. Her mother rushed across the room and sat next to her.

‘Oh, sweetie, don’t – Are you okay?’ Nancy nodded. ‘It’s just a big shock, that’s all. I came in here last night looking for my hair straightener.’ Karen put her arm around her daughter. ‘Does Jonathan know?’

Nancy and her mom talked for an hour (until they were interrupted by Ted calling from downstairs to ask why breakfast wasn’t ready). It was probably the most open and honest conversation they’d had in years. Karen wasn’t exactly thrilled, but she seemed to understand Nancy’s decision. She also promised to come to Nancy’s next doctor’s appointment, and to support her when she was ready to tell Mr Wheeler.

***

It was a few days before Jonathan felt ready to tell his mom. One night after dinner, once Will had disappeared into his room to work on the latest instalment of his comic book, Jonathan made his mom some cocoa and sat with her at the kitchen table. They talked about mundane things for a little while before Jonathan cleared his throat and said, ‘Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.’ He kept his eyes down on the table as he spoke, and he couldn’t hide the nervousness in his voice.

‘Uh oh,’ said Joyce teasingly. ‘Is this bad news?’

‘No!’ Jonathan said. ‘I mean … it might not seem like great news right away, but it definitely is. And I’m really excited about it.’

This just made Joyce look more worried. ‘What is it?’

Jonathan paused, then spoke in a rush. ‘Nancy and I are having a baby.’

Joyce exhaled hard and turned her face away from her eldest son. ‘Jesus. Jonathan, this is – you’re being ridiculous. You can’t have a baby. You’re practically a baby yourself! You’re going to go to college, and get a good job, and have a great life somewhere far away from this shitty town. You can’t have a baby, that’s just absurd.’

‘Mom, why are you talking about this like it’s a hypothetical situation? This is real. We’re having a baby. It’s due in June. Yeah, it’s not what we had planned, and it’s going to be incredibly hard and it’s kind of scary, but it’s also exciting.’

‘Well excuse me if I’m not excited about you throwing your life away!’

‘I’m not throwing my life away!’ Jonathan was so angry he was shaking. He hated arguing with his mom, because it made him feel like he was living out his biggest fear: turning into Lonnie Byers. With tears burning in his eyes, he rushed to his bedroom and slammed the door.

The next morning Jonathan was up and dressed before his mom and brother, as usual, and made breakfast. But when he tried to serve Joyce she just said, ‘I’m not hungry.’ She sat at the table smoking, drinking black coffee, and glaring at her eldest son like he was some stranger who’d barged into her house and started making pancakes.

As soon as they got in the car, Will turned to Jonathan. ‘What did you _do_?’ he asked, wide-eyed. He was stunned when Jonathan explained.

‘Don’t tell anybody, okay? Mrs Wheeler knows, but I’m pretty sure Nancy hasn’t told Mike yet.’

‘Yeah, okay.’ Will still seemed shell-shocked, but as they arrived at the school he turned to his brother and said, ‘Hey, Jonathan? I think you’ll be a great dad. You’ve basically been like a dad to me for years, and you’re really good at it.’

Jonathan reached out and ruffled Will’s hair. ‘Thanks, buddy. You’re going to be a pretty amazing uncle.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm much more into season 1 Karen, a mom who's Trying Her Best and really wants to be there for her kids, than her season 2 iteration. So I'm just assuming she was having a bad couple of weeks then, and is back to herself now.  
> It's tough making Joyce be mean! But I think she would be hit hard by this, given how much she's put into giving her boys a better life and her hopes for them. (Don't worry, she can't stay mad at him for long.)  
> I wanted to get Crazy for You by Madonna in here somehow! Had originally thought about having them slowdance to it at the Winter Formal, but couldn't make that into a scene that advanced the story. Natalia really reminds me of mid-80s Madonna since she's gone blonde, and then when I found out this song was from a Matthew Modine movie ... basically I had no choice but to include it!


	8. WWBD (What Would Barb Do?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy tells two important people the news. She and Jonathan talk about the future.

Over the next few weeks, Joyce Byers mellowed enough to actually eat the breakfasts Jonathan cooked for her, but she made it clear that she was still very unhappy about the baby. Whenever Jonathan tried to bring up the topic, they never got very far.

Mrs Wheeler was also not thrilled about the situation, but at least she was engaging with her daughter – more than she had in a long time, to be honest. She’d gone with Nancy and Jonathan to their latest doctor’s appointment, and gotten Nancy to talk through the plan they’d started to sketch out. Classes finished at the end of May, and the baby was due about three weeks later, so Nancy figured she’d be okay to finish the school year and graduate with the rest of the class of ’86. Jonathan was picking up as many extra shifts at the Hawk as he could. He’d suggested that he drop out and start working full-time right away, but Nancy convinced him to stay in school. (They both knew how devastated Joyce would be if he didn’t graduate.) They’d been scouring apartment listings to get a feel for what was out there that they could actually afford, but hadn’t decided when would be the best time to get a place of their own.

Nancy had told her brother the same day Jonathan had told Will. His first reaction was to be disgusted at the reminder that his sister had sex with his best friend’s brother – which had reassured Nancy that this wasn’t going to change her relationship with Mike. They hadn’t had a deep and meaningful conversation about it or anything, but he had said he and El would be happy to babysit anytime.

So that left two important people Nancy hadn’t told: her dad, and Barb.

She visited Barb’s grave every week, bringing her flowers and talking to her. Even though she knew Barb wasn’t really buried there, it felt good to have a place to go where she could feel close to her best friend. She would talk as though Barb was there, telling her everything from what they’d covered in Chem that day to what her deepest hopes and dreams were. But for the past three months she’d been … not lying, exactly, but not being honest either. She hadn’t told Barb about the baby, and she wasn’t even sure why. As much as she’d always been able to count on her best friend to give it to her straight, she knew Barb would’ve supported her no matter what.

The cemetery lawn was icy this afternoon, as she made her way carefully to Barb’s headstone. She cleared a small space in front of it, and set down the small posy of snowdrops she’d brought with her. Still crouching down, she rested one hand on top of the stone.

‘Hi, Barb,’ she said quietly. ‘Hot dogs today – your least favourite. They were extra rubbery, too. Dustin and Will ended up having a sword fight with theirs, which was actually pretty funny. In a gross way. Spending so much time with freshman boys has reminded me why we never hung out with boys when we were that age … God, I don’t know why I’m blabbering about hot dog fights! I came here to tell you that I’m having a baby.’

Nancy choked back a sob. ‘I just wish I could talk to you about it! I mean, obviously I’m talking to you right now – but I wish you could talk back. For the past two years, I’ve asked myself _What would Barb think about this?_ about fifty times a day. And sometimes I know, and sometimes I just have no idea.’ She laughed. ‘This is one of those times. Would you be excited, and cooing over tiny little booties with me? Or would you be telling me I’ve made the wrong choice?’

‘I don’t even know what you thought of Jonathan, which is crazy – we all went to school together for years, and I don’t recall you ever saying anything about him. I guess because he worked so hard at being invisible, and you never gossiped or anything. But I think you’d really like each other. You’re both so caring, and genuine, and you both just _get_ me.’

‘Do you remember what you said to me that night – that what I was doing wasn’t me? He said pretty much the exact same thing to me a couple days later. That I was trying to be somebody else. God, that pissed me off so much. But you were both right. And I just kept on pretending, trying to be somebody else for a whole year, and it almost wrecked me.’

Nancy was crying now, though she smiled as she said, ‘But now I really feel like I’m finally being true to myself, even though I’ve ended up in a totally different place from where I thought I’d ever be. It just feels … _right_.’

‘God, I wish you were here to share it with me. This is the type of thing I always imagined us experiencing together. After college, obviously, but you know what I mean. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to tell you, but from now on it’s all you’re going to hear about. By the time June comes around you’re going to be sick of hearing about weird pregnancy cravings, and baby names, and Lamaze classes. And then I’ll be bringing my baby to meet Aunt Barb … I miss you so much.’

Nancy didn’t believe in ghosts, but she felt a kind of peace as she left the cemetery that afternoon. It was as though her beloved best friend had given Nancy her blessing.

*

Once she’d confided in Barb, Nancy finally felt ready to tell her dad. It was as though her best friend was standing with her, holding her hand, and getting her through what she expected would be one of the most uncomfortable conversations of her life.

Actually, it was worse than that. The normally taciturn Ted Wheeler launched into a diatribe about how she was bringing shame on the family, and embarrassing him in front of the whole town. ‘It was bad enough when there was that graffiti about you downtown – but now _this_? How am I supposed to show my face around Hawkins when everyone knows my daughter is a tramp? And with a boy from such a low-class family. Isn’t his father in jail or something? And that mother of his – can’t keep track of her own kid, and then she’s so drunk she can’t even identify the body properly. Those are some real quality genes you’re carrying.’

Nancy cried, and Karen tried to placate him, but Ted was resolute: ‘I’m not having a pregnant floozy under this roof – since you think you’re so grown up, why don’t you see what it’s like in the real world? You’re in for a rude shock, young lady. I want you out, NOW.’

Upstairs in her room, face still wet with tears, Nancy picked up her phone and dialled Jonathan’s number.

His mom answered. ‘Hello?’

‘Hi Mrs Byers, it’s Nancy. Is Jonathan home?’ She knew she sounded like a wreck, but she couldn’t keep her voice steady.

 ‘He’s at work. What’s wrong, sweetheart?’ Joyce’s tone softened. ‘Is everything okay with the baby?’

‘The baby’s fine, but – but my dad’s kicking me out and I don’t know what to do.’ Now the tears were back. More like sobs, really.

‘Oh, sweetheart … Everything’s going to be fine, okay? You just pack a bag and come straight here.’

It’s hard to know what to pack into your small floral duffel bag when you’re leaving the only house you’ve ever lived in to go stay with the father of your unborn child, and his mother, who hates you. Nancy ended up just shoving handfuls of random clothes into the bag – putting together cute outfits wasn’t exactly top priority right now.

As she was gathering her toiletries in the bathroom, there was a gentle tap on the door. ‘Nancy? Can I come in?’

It was Mike. From the look on his face when she let him in, he’d overheard everything. ‘I can’t believe he’s making you leave,’ he said, pulling her in to a hug and resting his chin on the top of her head. She still couldn’t get used to the fact that her baby brother was taller than her. ‘He’s such an asshole. You do realise that if you hadn’t told him he’d probably never have noticed, right?’

Nancy had to laugh at that. ‘Oh god, he probably wouldn’t have.’

Mike grinned. ‘You could give birth at the breakfast table and he wouldn’t even look up from his paper. He’d be all _Karen, tell those kids to stop making such a racket! I’m trying to read here_.’ He paused. ‘So are you going to live with the Byers now?’

‘Yeah. For the moment, at least. I’m not sure how Jonathan’s mom is going to feel about that, but I guess we’ll find out.’

‘I’m gonna miss you. You’re a pretty great sister … some of the time, at least.’

‘Jeez, that’s so touching. Don’t go getting all sappy on me, little brother.’

They held onto each other for a few moments longer, until Mrs Wheeler came to say it was time to go.

As they drove to Jonathan’s house, Karen babbled nervously. ‘I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I knew your father would be upset, but I didn’t think he’d flip out like this. Oh god, what must Joyce think of me? I’m so sorry … I’ll talk to him. Maybe we can work something out. Are you feeling okay?’

Nancy shrugged. ‘I guess. I don’t think it’s quite hit me yet.’

At the Byers house, Joyce greeted Nancy and her mom with hugs, and was quick to dismiss Mrs Wheeler’s apologies. ‘Karen, don’t even worry about it – I understand. I’m very happy to have Nancy here.’

The three of them sat around the kitchen table, drinking tea and not saying much. Nancy could tell that Mrs Byers was a little uncomfortable about the situation, but her warm, nurturing instincts were overriding her negativity about the pregnancy.

After Mrs Wheeler left, Nancy told Joyce she was feeling tired, and went into Jonathan’s room. She curled up on the bed, but didn’t sleep. She wasn’t actually sleepy; she’d just wanted to be alone. When Jonathan came in, he wrapped himself around her, whispering that he loved her and he was sorry and everything would be okay.

They fell asleep holding each other. When Nancy stirred the next day, Jonathan was already awake, and he reached out to gently stroke her face. ‘Good morning,’ he said quietly.

‘Good morning.’ She nestled closer to him, feeling safe in this little cocoon, even though her whole world was falling apart.

‘I’m so sorry about your dad,’ Jonathan said. ‘It sucks. Do you think if we talked to him together—’

Nancy stopped his lips with a kiss. ‘No. I don’t think there’s any point trying to reason with him. I’d rather just focus on the future.’

‘Right … I feel awful that he kicked you out, but this is really nice. Falling asleep with you. Waking up with you. This is what we’re going to do every day for the rest of our lives.’

‘Mmmhmm.’ Nancy snuggled into his chest.

‘Let’s get married,’ Jonathan whispered.

She froze. ‘Oh. Jonathan, I love you, and I want us to spend out whole lives together, but … no.’

Jonathan turned red. ‘I’m sorry. That was such a shitty way to propose.’

‘Not at all! It was really romantic, actually. And I do want to marry you – because I love you. But if we get married now, it will be like we’re only doing it because we have to. We _will_ get married, and when we do I want everyone to know it’s because of how much we love each other. We don’t have to do anything just because it’s what other people expect. Screw that.’

He smiled. ‘Yeah. Screw that.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it never gets mentioned that Jonathan's (kind of mean) comment about Nancy trying to be someone else that night at Steve's was basically the same observation that Barb had made. I think that's probably part of why it bothered Nancy so much.


	9. Valentine's Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike comes to Nancy for some relationship advice.

_‘Dustin, quit hogging all the Nilla wafers!’_

_‘I am not! Could you stop yelling at me, I’m trying to watch this show.’_

Nancy smiled to herself as the familiar sounds of Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas squabbling drifted from the Byers’ living room. She’d hung out with them for a little while before retreating to Jonathan’s bedroom to work on a Civics paper. (She was still adjusting to thinking of this as her bedroom as well, even though there were now plenty of her belongings there, from her floral bedspread to the silly photobooth pictures she and Barb had taken that last summer together.)

Feeling like she wasn’t making any progress on this essay, Nancy decided to get some water. When she opened the bedroom door, Mike was standing right in front of it, his hand raised as though he was about to knock.

‘Jesus! Mike, you scared me. What are you doing?’

‘Nothing! I mean … I just wanted to talk to you about some stuff.’

Nancy had noticed Mike seemed a little quieter than usual today, but hadn’t thought anything of it. Now she saw that there was definitely something wrong. There was a shadow in his eyes that she hadn’t seen for a long time – not since El had been back, really.

‘Of course! Come in.’ The two of them sat on the bed. Nancy looked at her brother, but he didn’t meet her gaze, instead looking down at the bedspread and nervously picking at his fingernails. ‘So … is everything okay at home?’ she asked gently.

Mike rolled his eyes. ‘No. My dad kicked my sister out and now I have no one to talk to. But that’s not what this is about.’

‘Oh,’ said Nancy. ‘So what is it about?’

‘I think I screwed things up with El,’ said Mike, his voice flat. ‘I asked her to the Valentine’s dance, and she said yes. But then I asked her if she’d be my girlfriend, because I kind of haven’t been sure what we are, really. Like, we hang out a lot, and we’ve kissed a couple of times, and we’re definitely more than just friends, but … I guess I just wanted to know for sure. Except it turned out that just straight out asking her was a bad idea, because she said no.’

‘Oh, Mike.’ Nancy squeezed his shoulder. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘The whole time I was waiting for her to get the all-clear to come to school and everything, I was thinking about how great it would be. I just assumed that we’d be together, because I wanted her to be my girlfriend. It never even occurred to me that she might not want that too.’ He sighed. ‘I didn’t realise how hard everything would be for her. Not just school stuff, but _everything_. Figuring out how to be a normal person. All the rules about what you can say and do and how to act, rules that we never even realise exist. She said that having a boyfriend would just be “too much” on top of everything else. And I get it, it makes sense, but it still really hurts.’

‘I know,’ said Nancy quietly. ‘You know she probably feels terrible about this too, right? I’m sure she hates having to hurt you. She’s probably at home crying about it to Chief Hopper.’

Mike flopped back on the bed. ‘Oh my god, Hopper is probably _delighted_ about this. Maybe it was even his idea! He’s probably been telling her for months that I’m no good and she should stay away from me.’

Nancy laughed. ‘I’m pretty sure he couldn’t make El do anything she didn’t want to do.’

‘Aren’t you supposed to be on my side here?’

She shook her head. ‘Nope. In romantic problems I am always on the girl’s side.’

‘So rude.’

‘But seriously … maybe El’s right to be cautious. Relationships are really hard! Even if you haven’t spent your whole life either being experimented on by shady scientists or on the run from the government. Look at me and Steve – we cared about each other, but we still ended up hurting one another. I know it’s tough to hear, but if she doesn’t want you to be her boyfriend there’s not really anything you can do. Right now she just needs you to be her friend.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ he said quietly. ‘It still sucks, though.’

‘Yeah, it does.’

‘Just promise me that if the baby’s a girl, you won’t name her Jane. Or Eleven. Or Eleanor. Or Ellen. Or Eliza. Nothing that sounds like El.’

She laughed. ‘I wasn’t considering any of those, but okay.’

Her brother grinned. ‘If it’s a boy you’re definitely naming him after me though, right?’

‘Of course. We’ll call him Li’l Mikey,’ Nancy said, deadpan. ‘Actually, we’re having a really hard time coming up with names. It’s so much pressure, trying to choose a name for someone you haven’t met yet! How are we supposed to know what suits her?’ Mike raised his eyebrows. ‘Or him,’ she added quickly.

‘What about naming the baby after Barbara?’ Mike suggested. ‘That’d be nice.’

‘Yeah.’ Nancy paused. ‘I’ve thought about it. But is that too much pressure to put on a kid – naming them after someone who was so important to me, someone who’s gone? I don’t want them to feel like they have to live up to some idea.’

‘I’m pretty sure all parents do that, though,’ said Mike. ‘Not the naming the kid after someone part. But all parents have some idea of what their kid should be like, and then they measure everything against that.’

‘Why are you so wise? You and Will are going to have to swap D and D names if you keep coming out with all this profound shit.’ She smiled. ‘You’re right, though. God, even though I’m still months away from having this baby, I’ve already got a lot more sympathy for Mom. Being a parent is _hard_. I keep thinking of new ways I could screw it up.’

‘You won’t,’ said Mike. ‘You’re good at everything – it’s one of the reasons you’re so annoying.’

His older sister poked her tongue out at him. The Wheeler siblings’ expectations and hopes had been turned upside down over the last couple of months, but at least they’d always have each other to tease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not, Mileven fans! Hopefully this is just a bump in the road for these two cuties...


	10. Commencement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkins High School Class of 1986’s graduation day.

Hawkins High School Class of 1986’s graduation day was hot and muggy. No one could possibly have been comfortable in the heavy polyester graduation gowns, but for 8½ months pregnant Nancy Wheeler it was particularly unpleasant. As she stood in line waiting for her name to be called, it occurred to her that maybe she should have said yes to Jonathan’s proposal – the Bs didn’t have to stand in the sun for nearly as long as the Ws, and were comfortably seated in the bleachers long before she made it to the stage to shake Principal Gorley’s hand and receive her diploma.

She saw her family cheering in the crowd. Well, her mom, Mike and Holly were cheering – Ted Wheeler was scowling as he clapped, but he did look proud of her. A couple of rows behind them, Joyce and Will were applauding, and Will gave her a little wave when she looked his way.

Her pregnancy had been pretty uneventful, and despite all the upheaval her GPA hadn’t dropped – she’d been determined to prove that it wouldn’t get in her way. Teen pregnancies weren’t particularly rare in Hawkins, though theirs was the only one in their class. As Nancy had predicted when she and Jonathan first got together, their reputation meant that none of the other kids was shocked by the news (though of course there were a few who gave them shit about it).

Much harder for Nancy to take was the disapproval of some of her teachers. Waiting outside the faculty lounge one day to ask her English teacher a question, she overheard Mrs Victor saying, ‘I mean, I’d seen some graffiti about Nancy, but I didn’t really believe she was one of those girls. It’s such a waste! She really could have done something with her life.’ She’d run to the bathroom to cry, her question about Arthur Miller forgotten.

What the fuck did Mrs Victor know, anyway? Nancy _was_ going to make something of herself. When her acceptance letter arrived from Northwestern, it was bittersweet. Could she really go off to college with a 3-month-old baby? It just didn’t seem feasible – so she’d decided to delay college for a year. (Jonathan was stubbornly insisting that, since both of them studying while raising a child was basically impossible, she should be the one to go. He’d even refused to open the letters that had arrived for him, so they didn’t know which schools he’d gotten in to.)

As soon as the ceremony was over, Jonathan rushed to her side. ‘How are you doing?’ he asked, sliding one arm around her back before kissing her tenderly. ‘Let’s get into the shade. I didn’t hear a word of Elliott’s valediction because I was so worried you were going to faint.’

Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘When have I ever fainted? I’m _fine_.’ But she was smiling – Jonathan had become even more caring and attentive since she’d been pregnant, and it was nice to feel so loved. He was also very turned on by the changes in her body, which had been an extremely pleasant surprise.

‘I know, I know, you’re a total badass. Just humour me, okay?’

‘Fine, but on one condition: we’re going to Tina’s graduation party tonight.’

‘Has anyone ever had fun at one of Tina’s parties?’ Jonathan asked.

‘Yeah, of course,’ said Nancy. ‘I mean, not us, obviously, but other people seem to enjoy them.’

As it turned out, this particular blow-out became legendary as the party where Nancy Wheeler went into labour while dancing to ‘How Will I Know’.

*

Lucy Barbara Byers was born at 6.37 the next morning.

Nancy hadn’t known pain like that was possible. At several points she was convinced that she would never actually be able to deliver this baby – was there some way to not have to go through with it? But as soon as she held her tiny, perfect daughter in her arms, it all felt worthwhile.

Jonathan hadn’t thought he could be any more in awe of Nancy Wheeler than he already was, but seeing her bring their child into the world showed him she was even more of a badass than he’d ever imagined. And when he heard Lucy’s first cries, he felt like his heart tripled in size. Who knew it was even possible to love anybody this much?

When they brought their daughter home from the hospital, they were both still in a daze. Joyce had insisted on them staying with her, saying that they should try to save money for a little while (and that a baby would cost more than they were expecting). She’d even swapped bedrooms with them: the master bedroom was only a little bigger than Jonathan’s, but it had space for the baby’s cot, and more storage.

But the biggest advantage of staying in the Byers house was that Joyce was always there when they needed her. Between them they’d read every baby book in the Hawkins Public Library, but nothing compared to the expertise of someone who’d done it all before.

It wasn’t just Joyce who doted on the newest addition to the Byers family – Will was surprisingly maternal for a 15-year-old boy. One night when she was three weeks old, Lucy just wouldn’t settle. She was screaming as loudly as her tiny lungs could manage, her little red face twisted into a pained expression that nearly broke her parents’ hearts. Nothing could calm her, until Uncle Will scooped her up and held her against his chest, whispering quietly as he stroked her back. Her screams subsided into snuffles, and finally silence, as she fell asleep to the comforting rhythm of her uncle’s heartbeat.


	11. The Night Before Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's their first Christmas as a family, and all Nancy and Jonathan want is some privacy.

_24 December, 1986_

Karen Wheeler beamed when she saw who was at the door. ‘Jonathan! Merry Christmas,’ she said, giving her almost-son-in-law a slightly awkward hug while trying not to spill her merlot. ‘I don’t suppose you brought my beautiful granddaughter with you?’

‘No sorry, Mrs Wheeler,’ said Jonathan. ‘I can’t stay long, anyway. Mom gave me strict instructions to have Will home in time for dinner. She’s been cooking a turkey all afternoon.’

Karen smiled. ‘He’s in the basement. Hopefully Mike will let him leave! He’s been talking about this campaign for a week.’

Just then, Ted Wheeler came into the kitchen. The only greeting he gave Jonathan was a gruff nod – Lucy’s cuteness was irresistible enough to have mostly won him over, but he was still not a fan of the boy who had knocked up his daughter. To be honest, Jonathan found being ignored preferable to having to make awkward small talk, so he could live with it. He returned Mr Wheeler’s nod and then headed downstairs to the basement.

Will, El, Dustin, Max and Lucas were crowded around the card table, listening as Mike dramatically narrated their quest. As Mrs Wheeler had anticipated, Mike protested at Will leaving before the campaign was done, but the smaller boy didn’t seem to mind.

‘Sorry to drag you away from D and D,’ Jonathan said to Will once they were in the car.

‘That’s okay,’ said Will. ‘Don’t tell Mike, but I’m kind of getting bored with it. I don’t think Lucas and El are really into it either.’

‘Why don’t you suggest doing something else?’

Will looked aghast. ‘I couldn’t do that! Mike always works so hard to come up with the campaigns. He loves it. Besides, I like the fact that it means that we all spend the whole day hanging out.’

Jonathan smiled at his little brother. He loved how thoughtful Will was, and how important his friends were to him.

‘Did Lucy do anything cute today?’ Will asked.

‘Obviously. Everything she does is cute. I’ve already used one and a half rolls of film so far this winter break, mostly on her,’ said Jonathan. He was enjoying studying at the local community college more than he’d anticipated – his teachers were good, and it had none of the bullshit of high school – but the best part was access to the college’s darkroom.

Nancy was also studying there – just one class. She found being at home with the baby all day a little stifling, and said she needed something to keep her brain from atrophying. Luckily, Mrs Wheeler was only too happy to babysit while Nancy studied (it helped to fill her days now that Holly had started school).

Jonathan was balancing his classes with two jobs – he still did shifts at the Hawk, and his mom had gotten Mr Melvald to hire him after Jeffrey moved to Clarksville. Between work, study and a baby who woke at least twice a night, he was tired a lot of the time (though not as exhausted as Nancy). But he loved feeling like he was supporting his little family.

The whole time Nancy was pregnant, he’d had a gnawing anxiety in his stomach about becoming a father. What if he was terrible at it? Maybe he was destined to turn into a shitty, deadbeat dad like Lonnie. Six months into being a father, he didn’t understand how his own dad could have treated him and Will the way he did – Lucy was his whole world, and he couldn’t imagine ever doing anything to hurt her.

When they got home, Joyce was frantically trying to salvage the mashed potatoes, which she had somehow managed to burn. ‘I think there are some bits in the middle that are okay, maybe? Jesus. I was so anxious about the turkey that I completely forgot about the potatoes, and they’re meant to be the easiest part. Do you boys mind? I’ve ruined Christmas dinner, haven’t I?’

‘Mom, it’s fine,’ said Will, smiling. ‘You always cook way too much anyway, so we’ll still have plenty of food.’

Jonathan left his mom and brother in the kitchen and headed to his bedroom, where Nancy had just changed Lucy’s diaper. His girlfriend and daughter both greeted him with smiles.

‘You’re just in time for a good night kiss!’ Nancy said, gently placing the chubby, dark-haired baby in his arms. Lucy gurgled, grinning up at him, and batted at his jaw with one of her pudgy hands. He caught her hand in his and kissed each of her perfect little knuckles.

‘Do I get a kiss too?’ Nancy teased, rising up on her toes and reaching across their daughter to peck his cheek. ‘That’ll do for now, but I expect a proper one later.’

She didn’t have to wait long. They put Lucy down in her cot, turned on her nightlight, and gently closed the bedroom door. The second it clicked shut, Jonathan threaded an arm around her waist and, in one motion, lifted her up and pinned her against the hallway wall. Her hands were in his hair, massaging the back of his neck as they kissed.

‘Kids, dinner’s ready!’ called Joyce from the dining room.

They broke the kiss, but stayed entwined around each other. Nancy let out a small bark of annoyance.

This had been a recurring theme of the past six months. Whereas before they’d had plenty of opportunities for privacy – afternoons and long lazy vacation days spent in his bedroom, date nights in the back of his car out by the lake – now they could hardly ever find a moment to themselves. His schedule was crazy, and when he was home it seemed his mom and Will were always there – not to mention their tiny, light-sleeping roommate. They loved each other, and knew there was way more to their relationship than just the physical side, but frankly they both would have liked a little more of that side.

For now, all they could do was head to the dining room, hand in hand, and hope that they got some time together later.

*

A few hours later – after eating the parts of dinner that had been salvageable and watching _Miracle on 34th Street_ (a Byers family tradition that always made Joyce cry), Nancy and Jonathan were finally alone again, in their room.

Lying on the bed, they somehow performed the necessary contortions to remove most of their clothes without breaking contact, mouths and hands constantly exploring each other. Jonathan managed to half-lift Nancy until she was sitting up, leaning against the wall, and for a moment they just studied each other’s faces in the blue glow of the nightlight.

It reminded Nancy of being in the darkroom with him that first time. The red light had thrown the angles of his face into relief, and she had suddenly realised how handsome he was. Of course, at the time she’d pushed that thought away, hating herself for thinking such a thing while Barb was missing – especially about a guy who’d taken weird photos of her and her friends from a hiding place the woods.

Jonathan was also thinking of that day. It hadn’t been surprise to him how beautiful Nancy had looked in the coloured light – he’d thought she was pretty for years. But he’d never stood that close to her before, and certainly had never seen her looking at him like that before: as though she could really _see_ him, and didn’t think he was weird or creepy or a nobody. She’d looked at him with such openness and trust, and it had felt more intimate than any contact he’d had with any of his peers, pretty much ever.

Now, he traced a line down her neck with one finger, and followed it with a series of soft kisses. Then he continued tracing down her chest, teasing each of her nipples before working his way further down. She help him slide her panties off, and spread her legs to accommodate him, sighing as he licked at her clit and caressed the silky skin on the inside of her thighs.

As he nestled there, determined to deploy all the things he had learned about how to please her over the last two years, he felt her relax around him – and then tense again as he brought her close to the edge. He pulled back a little, wanting to draw her orgasm out slowly, to really make it special. A kind of Christmas present. He kept this up for a little longer, teasing her until she started to growl quietly.

‘Please,’ she said, half in a whisper, half in a moan. ‘Jonathan … I’m so close. Just let me …’

But just as he decided that he’d teased her long enough, Lucy began to cry.

Jonathan turned his head, burying his face in Nancy’s inner thigh for a moment. Goddammit. He loved his daughter, but her timing was terrible.

Some of the parenting books they’d read suggested just letting babies this age ‘cry it out’, but they couldn’t bring themselves to do that, especially when she slept just feet from their bed. And besides, they _definitely_ couldn’t continue with what they’d been doing.

It was frustrating for both of them to suddenly have to switch gears, but he tried to just let it go as he lifted Lucy out of her cot and brought her over to Nancy. ‘Hey, what’s the matter, pumpkin?’ he asked softly.

‘I think she’s just hungry,’ answered Nancy. They rearranged themselves on the bed. He sat leaning on the wall, with Nancy nestled against his chest as she fed their daughter. He wrapped his arms around the two of them, holding his little family close.

‘What time do we need to be at your parents’ place tomorrow?’ he asked quietly.

‘12.30, so we’ve got plenty of time for presents before lunch. I keep feeling like we’ve forgotten to get a gift for someone,’ Nancy said. ‘We haven’t, have we?’

‘I don’t think so,’ said Jonathan. ‘Framed photo of Lucy for Mom, and a set of pastels for Will. Another framed photo for your parents, a She-Ra costume for Holly and a copy of _It_ for Mike.’

‘I hope it’s not too scary for him,’ said Nancy.

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. ‘Seriously? I don’t think there’s anything Stephen King could come up with that would be more frightening than what Mike has actually seen in real life.’

‘He’s not as tough as he likes to make out,’ Nancy said. ‘I heard there’s a really terrifying clown in that book. Mom and Dad took us to the circus once and Mike got so freaked out he had to be carried out of the bigtop, crying hysterically.’

Jonathan laughed, which startled Lucy for a moment. But she quickly settled back into her feed, and the three of them stayed silent for a while.

Once Lucy had a full belly, she fell into a contented sleep and Nancy placed her back in the cot.

Nancy yawned and stretched, her pale skin glowing in the blue light. ‘Babe, could you get me a glass of water? And then maybe we can pick up where we left off,’ she added with a wicked grin.

But when Jonathan returned from the kitchen, he found his girlfriend asleep, sprawled awkwardly across the bed. ‘Merry Christmas,’ he whispered, kissing Nancy on the forehead as he gently shifted her back on to her side of the bed.

‘Merkismis,’ came the mumbled reply.

He smiled to himself and nestled into Nancy's back. It actually was a pretty great Christmas so far – he just couldn’t wait until this time next year, when they’d hopefully be in their own place, with a separate bedroom for Lucy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was pretty happy when I found out IT was published in 1986! (And also happy that Holly is just the right age for She-Ra, one of the all-time great cartoons.)


	12. Come On, Feel the Illinoise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy and Jonathan move to Illinois so she can (finally) start college, and I indulge some of my Karen Wheeler headcanons.

Karen Cabrini grew up on Chicago’s Near West Side, one of seven kids in a big, loud Italian family. Her cramped home was full of love, but it was also full of noise, whether it was her dad singing along with his Mario Lanza records, her brothers arguing over baseball, or her mother hollering out the window to call the kids in for dinner. Karen dreamed of the quiet, well-ordered homes she saw in movies and on TV, where nobody ever raised their voice and everything was brand new and neat as a pin. _That_ was the life that she wanted, and it seemed a million miles away from Taylor Street.

When Karen met Ted Wheeler, she was a 20-year-old typist at the Illinois General Insurance Company. He didn’t exactly sweep her off her feet, although she did think he was handsome. But he was steady, and seemed kind, and didn’t try to get fresh like a lot of the men in the office did. He wasn’t much of a talker, but one topic that he did get animated about was his home town: Hawkins, Indiana. He missed its easy-going lifestyle, its low crime rate, and its quiet cul-de-sacs with neatly mowed lawns. It sounded just like the type of town Karen had always dreamed about.

So when, after six months of dinner dates, Ted explained that his thirtieth birthday was coming up and he figured it was time to settle down, Karen accepted his proposal. He found another job, and in the spring of 1966 they moved into a little house in Hawkins – a whole house that was just hers, with a yard and a garage and two bathrooms.

It was in Hawkins that Karen realised something that she should have picked up on much earlier: she’d married the most boring man in America. Ted didn’t talk because he didn’t have anything to say. She couldn’t have a proper conversation with him because he wasn’t interested in anything _she_ had to say. She finally had a quiet home, and it drove her _crazy_. She was so happy when they brought baby Nancy home from the hospital and all of a sudden there was noise – her daughter’s tears and laughter and baby talk, joined a few years later by Mike’s voice, and much later by Holly’s. It wasn’t exactly what she’d dreamed of, and sometimes she wished she could travel back in time and tell her younger self not to be an idiot, but Karen loved her little family.

Mr and Mrs Cabrini hadn’t been thrilled with their daughter’s choice of husband – not only was he not Italian, he wasn’t even Catholic! But they adored their grandchildren, and when the now-widowed Sofia Cabrini found out that Nancy was moving to Illinois to go to Northwestern, she didn’t mind that it was happening a year later than planned, or that Nancy had a boyfriend and baby in tow. She was only too happy to help.

Nancy, Jonathan and Lucy came to stay with Sofia in July 1987. They wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to settle in before classes started. Jonathan had to get a job, and they needed to find a place to live in Evanston.

The plan was for Jonathan to be at home with Lucy while Nancy was at school, which meant he needed to find a job where he could work nights. The night jobs that came up the most in the classifieds were janitor, security guard and bartender. He didn’t like the sound of the first, Nancy vetoed the second as too dangerous, and he was underaged, which ruled out bartending. They were talking about it at dinner one night when Nancy’s cousin Marty was over, and he said he could help.

‘You just need to pretend to be a little older than you are. I can get you an ID that says you’re 21, no problem,’ he said.

A week later, armed with a fake ID, Jonathan was introducing himself to the manager of an Evanston bar called Frankie’s. As it turned out, he never even needed to show the ID – he just talked about the jobs he’d had over the years, and how he needed to work nights so he could look after his kid during the day. He and the manager, Paul, ended up talking about music for an hour – Frankie’s had live acts most nights, everything from open mics to punk bands who were touring the country. It sounded amazing, and Jonathan was thrilled when we walked out of there with the job.

He and Nancy found a tiny two-bedroom place not far from campus. They scrounged furniture from thrift stores and various relatives, painted Lucy’s room and the kitchen, and hung curtains that Mrs Wheeler had sewn. It was draughty and rundown, and everything was mismatched, but they thought it was the most beautiful home in the world, because it was _theirs_.

The night before classes started, Nancy was a mess. When Jonathan got home from work at 2 a.m., she was still awake, pacing the kitchen with a chamomile tea that had done nothing to soothe her nerves.

‘What if everything’s too hard? It’s been so long since I really had to study I think I’ve forgotten how to do it. My community college classes weren’t exactly challenging. I’ll be surrounded by people who are younger than me, and who’ve just graduated high school – they’re all in peak studying condition, and I’m rusty!’

Jonathan placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. ‘Hey. You are amazing. You’re the smartest, hardest-working, most determined person I’ve ever met.’ He rested his forehead against hers. ‘You’ve got this, okay?’

‘Thank you.’ Nancy pulled her head away – but just for a moment, so that she could kiss him gently. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too,’ he said with a smile. Then he led her to their bedroom to enjoy the other thing that made their apartment so wonderful – a room of their own, and no moms, brothers or grandmas who might overhear them.


	13. Summer School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will comes to stay with Jonathan and Nancy so he can attend a summer art school. Will and Nancy bond over a cute boy. And Will and Jonathan discover that their mom and Hop have been getting closer.

Nancy spotted the leaflet during a family visit to the Art Institute on a rainy Sunday in April 1988. ‘Hey, what do you think of this?’

Jonathan read the heading. ‘ _Summer Art School for Teens_? My first thought is that neither of us is a teen. And it might be a bit much for Lucy, even though she’s obviously extremely advanced for her age.’

She slapped his arm playfully. ‘For Will, dummy! I think something like this would be terrific for him. It’d be good preparation for college – he’s so talented, and the art department at Hawkins High isn’t exactly cutting edge.’

She rang the Byers house as soon as they got home. Will thought it sounded amazing. Joyce did too, but needed to be reassured that they would look after Will carefully. (Jonathan could practically hear his 17-year-old brother rolling his eyes in the background – Joyce’s overprotectiveness still rankled Will, even though he understood that it came from a place of love.)

Joyce eventually relented, and in July Will came to stay with the Wheeler/Byers family for three weeks. Lucy seemed to be under the impression that he was there specifically to play with her, and kept him busy with tea parties, Duplo tower construction and drawing. She was very impressed by her uncle’s skill, and could spend hours directing him to draw things for her. He hoped the teachers at the summer school would be as easy to please.

At the start of his second week there, Will phoned home while Jonathan was making breakfast. Jonathan could only hear one side of the conversation, but it sounded pretty interesting: ‘Oh! Um, this is Will … Huh. Okay. Is my mom there? … Thanks … Hey, Mom … Yeah, he already said that. But you know you don’t have to lie to me, right? I’m fine with it … Yeah, really. I just want you to be happy. I’m sure Jonathan does too.’

The rest of the conversation seemed pretty normal, but as soon as Will hung up, Jonathan asked, ‘What was that about – who answered the phone?’

Will rolled his eyes. ‘Hopper. He immediately said that he’d “just dropped by,” and Mom said the same thing, but I mean, I’m not an idiot. It’s been really obvious that they like each other for years.’

‘Yeah, his poker face is terrible, huh?’ Jonathan laughed. ‘It’s good, though. I’m happy for her. And him. Does El know?’

‘Apparently not,’ said Will. ‘That will be interesting. She might not appreciate having to share Hop’s attention with anyone else.’

‘She really likes Mom, though, right? And I’m sure she wants Hop to be happy, so she’ll come around to the idea.’

*

Later that week, Nancy picked up Will from class (one of Joyce’s conditions of letting him go to summer school). She got there a little early, and was parked across the street when she saw him come out of the building with a group of kids. They stood chatting for a minute or two before most of them dispersed, leaving just Will and another boy. Watching them chatting for a little while, she realised that there was something familiar about their body language. It reminded her of the start of tenth grade, when she and Steve were at the kinda-sorta-maybe-going-to-get-together stage.

She knew Will was gay – he’d told Jonathan at Christmas – but it wasn’t something she and Will had actually talked about. She wasn’t even sure if Mike and El knew. The hostility at Hawkins High towards any boy who seemed slightly sensitive or ‘artsy’, or even just not like a macho jerk, definitely wouldn’t encourage anyone who was actually gay to be open about it.

Nancy was uncertain whether she should say anything to him about it. It was up to Will to bring it up whenever he felt ready, but she wanted to make sure that he knew that she loved and supported him. When Will got into the car, she decided to at least try to nudge the conversation in that direction. ‘Was that a guy from your class?’

‘Uh, yeah. Connor.’

‘He’s cute,’ said Nancy.

‘What? Umm … I think he’s a little young for you, Nance.’ Will’s tone was joking, but he kept his face half-turned away from her, and she could see him blushing furiously.

Nancy smiled. ‘Yeah. And I guess I’m not his type, huh?’

Will glanced across at her. ‘Uh, yeah. I mean no, you’re not.’

They grinned at each other for a moment, before Lucy started regaling her uncle with a story about her favourite doll, Mandy.

By the time they got back to Evanston, Lucy had fallen asleep and Nancy and Will were listening to The Bangles in companionable silence. But as she turned into their street, Will said, ‘Hey, Nance? I’m really glad you’re my sister. Or sister-in-law. Whatever you are.’

Nancy smiled. ‘Yeah. I’m glad too.’


	14. Photo Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slow night at the bar leads to some unexpected job opportunities for Jonathan.

_September 1988_

Jonathan knew Paul was disappointed with the turnout tonight – this band was supposed to be the next big thing, but Evanston’s music fans didn’t seem to have gotten the memo. There was an okay crowd, most of whom seemed to be very into the weird, discordant art-noise the band were producing, but Jonathan’s boss had been hoping this would be a bigger night.

Jonathan didn’t mind, though. Quieter nights like this gave him a chance to come out from behind the bar and enjoy the music himself – camera in hand. He didn’t want to take too long away from his work, but he was able to capture a few good shots. The sweaty lead singer, throwing herself around the tiny stage with as much passion as a rock goddess playing Madison Square Garden. The serious-looking drummer, who seemed to be hypnotised by his own beat. Two college kids in the crowd pogoing unevenly and almost crashing into each other.

After a few minutes, he headed back to the bar, and a straggly haired guy in his late twenties followed him over.

‘Hey,’ the man said, nodding at the camera as Jonathan placed it behind the bar. ‘You a photographer?’

‘I guess,’ said Jonathan. ‘Can I get you a drink?’

‘Bourbon, no ice,’ said the guy. ‘What do you do with the photos?’

‘I just take them for myself, mostly,’ said Jonathan. ‘My boss has hung a couple in the office. And a local band used one on the front of their EP. That was pretty cool.’

‘So you’re good, then?’

Jonathan shrugged. Who even was this weirdo? ‘$2, thanks,’ he said as he slid the drink across the bar.

Along with the money, the stranger handed over a business card: _Gordon Wittner, Senior writer, Word on the Street_. Jonathan had heard of it – it was one of those free newspapers they carried in record stores and coffee houses. It mostly covered the local music scene. ‘When are you developing those? If you got any decent shots of the band I might run one with my review.’

Jonathan tried not to look too excited. One of his photos in a newspaper? That would be incredible. ‘Cool. Okay, I’ll let you know.’

The next day, he took Lucy with him to the photo place around the corner from their apartment. He’d struck up a friendship with the owner, Vicky, an older lady who adored Lucy and would let Jonathan develop his own film when the shop wasn’t busy. He held his breath while he waited to see how last night’s shots had turned out. Would it be worth showing them to Gordon if they were just okay? Or would he blow his chance if he showed the writer anything that wasn’t _great_?

There were three shots he thought might be good enough. He made a proof sheet, and a few prints, and rang Gordon to say he could bring them to the paper’s office.

Nancy was so proud when his picture was printed in the next week’s issue. It was just as well the paper was free – she got about a dozen copies, and sent them to all their friends and family. There was a clipping of the article on their fridge, next to one of Lucy’s finger paintings, and he was pretty sure his mom had one on her fridge too. He thought they were both overreacting, but it did feel good to have made money doing something he actually loved (even if it was only a tiny bit of extra cash).

Over the next few months, Gordon picked up several more of Jonathan’s photos to run with reviews and interviews in _Word on the Street_. But just when he was starting to get excited about actually being a real photographer, Gordon left the street press for a job with the _Sun-Times_ in Chicago, and Jonathan lost his connection with the paper.

One day in March 1989, he was at home reading _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_ with Lucy when the phone rang.

‘Hello?’ he said, balancing his toddler daughter on his hip.

‘Jonathan! Glad I caught you. It’s Gordon. How quickly can you get to the Drake Hotel?’

‘I don’t know, like forty minutes, maybe.’ Jonathan wasn’t surprised at Gordon’s curt tone. The only journalists Jonathan had ever met were Gordon and Murray Bauman, and based on those two he’d concluded that rudeness was a prerequisite.

‘That’ll do, I guess,’ the older man said. ‘There’s a literary festival on here, and I’ve got an interview scheduled with the keynote speaker. But the photographer just bailed, and my new boss will have my ass if there aren’t good pictures to go with the piece. Just get here as soon as you can, okay? The _Sun-Times’_ freelance rates are a lot better than _Word on the Street_ ’s. Interview’s in room 1123.’

Forty-five minutes later, Jonathan knocked on the door of room 1123 at the Drake Hotel. He’d changed into the nice sweater his mom had given him for Christmas, grabbed his camera bag, and loaded up with snacks and books for Lucy. He hoped it was okay that he’d brought her along. He didn’t really have any choice, and besides – she was a pretty great kid, and could entertain herself as long as she had some picture books and her beloved doll Mandy.

When Gordon introduced him to the author, Catherine, Jonathan was relieved – in his experience, most women found the stay-at-home-dad thing kind of charming, whereas men were weirded out by it.

‘It’s lovely to meet you,’ Jonathan said as he shook the author’s hand. ‘I’m Jonathan and this is my assistant, Lucy.’

Lucy clung to his leg, but smiled proudly. ‘I’m helping!’ she said.

Her help mostly took the form of moral support – as he took photos, she kept calling out things like, ‘Great job, Daddy!’ and ‘You can do it!’ She also informed Gordon and Catherine very seriously that her daddy was very good at making pictures, because he practised all the time. She definitely hadn’t inherited any of her father’s social anxiety.

Gordon’s editor was so happy with his interview – and with Jonathan’s photos – that they decided to make it the cover feature on the weekend supplement. This meant a freelance fee that was MUCH nicer than what he used to get for his _Word on the Street_ jobs. And, more importantly, he got a call from the _Sun-Times_ photo editor, Wendy, asking him to bring in his portfolio. She said she liked his work, and that they’d add him to their list of freelancers. The paper had a fair few photographers on staff, and solid register of freelancers, but still – it was a huge opportunity.

The night after his meeting, he and Nancy were celebrating with sparkling wine, curled up on their couch. ‘I’m so proud of you,’ she said, peppering his jawline with kisses. ‘You’re a freelancer for the _Sun-Times_! That’s so freaking cool.’

He blushed. ‘You know it’s possible they’ll never actually call me, right? Let’s not get too excited.’

‘No!’ Nancy sat up, waving her wineglass around dangerously. ‘I want to get excited. I _insist_ on getting excited, because this is exciting.’ She was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke again her tone was more serious. ‘I’ve spend the past three years feeling like you had to give up your dreams because of me. So even though it’s been amazing, and I’ve been so happy, the whole time there’s been this niggling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I feel as though I’ve taken something away from you. But this is like a second chance – and what I want more than anything is for you to be happy and have everything that you dreamed of.’

Jonathan cupped her face with one hand and tilted her chin up towards him. ‘I already have everything that I dreamed of, because I have you and Lucy.’ His girlfriend smiled, but he could tell she didn’t quite believe him. ‘I’m serious,’ he said. ‘This is what I’ve always wanted – a family. When Will was born, I was so excited to have a little brother. I spent all my time following Mom around and trying to help. Apparently, I used to offer to breastfeed him, but she never took me up on that for some reason.’

Nancy cackled.

‘I was a pre-schooler, okay! My knowledge of anatomy was limited.  Anyway, I begged Mom to buy me this doll I’d seen in Melvald’s – one of those ones that comes with a bottle, so you can feed it and it wets itself. Eventually she got it for me, and I loved it. I named the doll Will, and I carried it around all the time. When Mom fed real Will, I’d feed doll Will, and I’d change the doll when she changed Will. I loved it.’

He paused for a moment, and Nancy saw a shadow cross his face. She’d seen it enough times before to know exactly who he was about to mention. ‘My dad hated the doll, of course. He thought Mom was turning me into a sissy, and that there was something wrong with me for being more interested in looking after a baby rather than playing with toy guns or something. So he threw the doll in the trash.’

‘Oh, poor baby Jonathan,’ said Nancy, stroking his forearm gently. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Jonathan sighed. ‘I didn’t mean to blurt all that out. I’m the one who should be sorry – for turning our celebration into a pity party, where I cry and tell sad stories about my asshole dad.’

‘It’s fine!’ said Nancy. ‘I like when you open up like this. And it’s healthy – it’s not good to carry all that around inside you.’

‘Well I guess one of the perks of dating a psychology major is the free therapy,’ said Jonathan teasingly. ‘But the point I was trying to make is that having a happy family, people to love and care about, is the one thing I’ve always wanted most. And maybe that seems weird, because guys aren’t meant to feel that way, but it’s true. All that other stuff – college, a career – it was always just a pipe dream for me. Deep down I never really believed I’d have it. I figured I’d just spend my whole life doing whatever combination of minimum-wage jobs would pay the rent, like Mom’s always done, and taking photos in my spare time.’

Nancy placed her hand on his chest. ‘It’s okay to want things for yourself, though. And it’s okay to feel like you deserve good things too. Because you do.’

‘Thank you,’ he said, leaning forward to kiss her. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too,’ she whispered. ‘And I especially love that you named your doll. Will. So creative!’ She giggled, and he responded by poking her in the ribs.

‘Hey! Don’t be mean about my tragic childhood.’

‘I’m sorry, babe,’ she said, sliding her fingers into the hair at the base of his neck and drawing him close. ‘Will you let me make it up to you?’

But before he could answer, she’d stopped his mouth with a kiss, and they toppled backwards on the couch in a tangle of limbs.


	15. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy and Jonathan visit Hawkins for their little brothers' graduation. Nancy and her mom have some bonding time, and Karen breaks some big news to her eldest child.

_June 1989_

Just as she’d done a thousand times before, Nancy Wheeler sat in her childhood bedroom, textbooks and notes spread around her on the bed.

Sure, a few things were different from the last time. The textbooks were college level, and the notes were full of technical terms she’d never even heard of until a year or two ago. Her daughter was sleeping across the hall, sharing a room with her little sister. Instead of hoping her boyfriend would sneak over later, she was waiting for him to get home from a night out with his brother. The Tom Cruise and Blondie posters were gone, as was the wallpaper she had picked out when she was 11, thrilled to get to choose for herself. And her mom had repainted the room – peach, with a faux-marble finish – and redecorated it as a guest room.

Nancy was back in Hawkins for a few days to attend Mike and Will’s high school graduation. Hopper and El (or Jane, as he and Joyce called her), had moved into the Byers house at New Years. With Jonathan’s old bedroom now El’s, there was no space for Nancy, Jonathan and Lucy, which is why they were staying at the Wheeler house for the first time ever. It felt a little weird. When they’d pulled up that afternoon, Mike and Holly had rushed out to greet them, both clearly excited to have their big sister under the same roof as them for the first time in years. But that evening’s dinner had had that undercurrent of tension and unhappiness that had tainted every family meal for as long as she could remember, and it felt even more acute now that she had her own home to compare it to.

Nancy knew she didn’t really have anything to complain about – her family life hadn’t been anywhere near as bad as Jonathan’s or Max’s, and at least she’d _had_ a family, unlike poor El. But it hadn’t exactly been the happiest home to grow up in. She knew Mike was looking forward to moving to South Bend in the fall to study at Notre Dame, but she couldn’t help but feel a little sad for Holly, being the only Wheeler kid left at home.

But finals were coming up, and she needed to study, so Nancy tried to push these thoughts out of her head and focus on her notes instead. Just as she was starting to get into the neuropsychological groove, there was a knock at the door (as it was being opened – Karen Wheeler may have conceded to the general principle of knocking before entering her children’s rooms, but her technique still needed work).

‘Hi sweetie – do you have time for a study break?’ Karen held a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.

‘Oh! Sure.’ Nancy and her mom and both had wine with dinner a few times, but the two of them just hanging out drinking was a new concept.

‘I know you’re hard at work,’ said Karen, sitting down on the bed and placing the wine and glasses on the bedside table, ‘but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity for the two of us to spend some time together.’

Nancy smiled. ‘Thanks. It has been a while, hasn’t it?’ Her mom handed her a glass, and she took a sip. As usual, her mom had chosen a wine that was way too sweet for Nancy's taste, but she appreciated the gesture. Appreciated her mom treating her like an adult, and wanting to spend time with her. She’d found she’d missed her mom more than she’d expected to since they’d moved away.

Karen asked her about her upcoming finals, and her school plans. Nancy still wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do with her degree. She liked the idea of becoming a psychologist, and helping people who were dealing with mental health issues, but there were other times when she thought it might be more useful to become a social worker, and do something to support vulnerable kids. If she went down that path, maybe she could go into policy, and do things that would really make a difference for lots of people. She still had one more year of undergrad to go, but she’d started making notes about different grad school programs.

‘How’s everything going at work?’ Nancy asked her mom. ‘I hope they’re paying you well for putting up with Hopper all day.’

Karen grimaced. ‘He is _infuriating_! I had no idea. I don’t know how Joyce puts up with him.’

Flo had retired about six months ago, after 25 years of service to the Hawkins Police, and Karen had replaced her – her first job since she’d gotten married more than twenty years ago. She suspected that Hopper had hired her for two main reasons, the first being that her lack of recent experience meant he could train her to do everything exactly the way he wanted it done. This was not working out as well as he had hoped. The second reason was that the chief could use her to keep tabs on Mike. He and El had finally started dating for real in junior year, and the two of them had been glued to each other’s side ever since, usually with Will along as well. No one seemed to mind having a third wheel, but they’d have to get used to being apart: El was staying in Hawkins (neither she nor Hop wanted to risk her safety just yet), and Will was headed to Bard College, in New York state.

Karen looked down for a moment and fiddled with her wedding ring. ‘It’s good, though. Having a job again. It’s nice to feel a little more independent. Actually, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. I … your father and I are getting a divorce.’

Nancy felt like all the breath had just been knocked out of her. She’d been thinking that her parents would/should get divorced for years, so she didn’t know why it felt like such a surprise. Maybe the fact that they’d stuck it out in their terrible marriage for so long made it seem like they’d never actually end it.

Her mom was looking at her expectantly, clearly waiting for a response. ‘Honey? I’m sorry to just blurt it out like that. It probably seems like it’s come out of nowhere.’

Nancy shook her head. ‘No, not at all. It really doesn’t, actually.’ She paused. ‘Do you remember when I was twelve, and you and dad called me and Mike into the living room for a family meeting? I was sure you were going to tell us you were getting a divorce, and then I was so surprised when you said you were having a baby. At the time I thought babies were made by kissing, and I never saw you two kiss, so it was a real shock.’

‘Oh,’ said Karen quietly. ‘We had actually been thinking about separating back then. But then we thought that another baby might help fix things. And it did, at first – we were closer for a little while, and having a little person to focus on distracted me from all the things that weren’t right. But we can’t just keep ignoring it forever. I wanted to tell you this while you’re here, but I’ll wait a couple of weeks before I tell your brother and sister – I don’t want to overshadow Mike’s graduation.’

She sighed. ‘I love you and your brother and sister so, so much – I could never regret being married to your father, because without him you three wouldn’t exist. But it’s as though I’ve been playing pretend for a long time – pretending I’m happy, pretending we have this perfect family, pretending everything’s good. But it just isn’t true, and I don’t want to pretend anymore.’

Nancy reached out and took her mother’s hand. ‘Oh, Mom … I’m so sorry. I kind of get what you mean, a little bit at least. That’s sort of how I felt before I broke up with Steve. I was trying to be the girl I thought everyone else wanted me to be, and after a while it started to feel like I was just lying all the time.’

‘I wish I was as strong as you,’ Karen said, squeezing her daughter’s hand. ‘When you were a little girl, sometimes you were so strong-willed it drove me crazy, but I couldn’t be prouder of the woman you’ve become. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for you and Jonathan to actually get married, but I like that you’re living your life the way you want to.’

‘Thank you, Mom,’ said Nancy. ‘And sorry for all those times I drove you crazy.’

Her mom smiled. ‘That’s okay. You can always make it up to me with a nice big wedding.’

Nancy threw her head back and exhaled loudly. ‘Oh my god, Mom, I take back my apology! Look, we will get married, okay? Eventually. Not until after college, though. And not right after college. But I promise you that by the time we have another baby, we will be married.’ When she saw the look on her mother’s face at the word ‘baby’, she immediately regretted saying it.

‘Oh, please don’t make me wait too long for another grandchild!’ Karen exclaimed. Nancy suddenly realised just how much wine they’d had; her Mom was getting pretty loose, and she was starting to feel the effects herself. ‘You don’t want to have too much of an age difference. I’ve always wished there wasn’t such a gap between Mike and Holly – I feel like she’s missed out on the chance to be really close with either of you.’

‘Well then it’s just as well I had Lucy when I did, huh?’ Nancy teased. ‘She and Holly get along great.’

They were interrupted by a noise at the window: Jonathan crashing to the floor as he tried to climb in.

‘Oh!’ said Jonathan, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. ‘Hi, Mrs Wheeler. I was just ... uh, I thought I’d climb in through the window for ol—I mean, because I’ve never climbed in before. I just thought I’d give it a try.’ He cleared his throat nervously.

Nancy put one hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles. Jonathan may have changed a lot from the 16-year-old boy who was so shy and awkward he could barely make eye contact with her, but her parents still made him nervous.

Karen just rolled her eyes. ‘Good night, you two.’ She kissed Nancy on the forehead, then gathered up their wine glasses and headed for the door. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’

As her mom closed the door behind her, Nancy crossed the room to where Jonathan stood, and collapsed against him, laughing. ‘You are adorable, Jonathan Byers. I can’t believe you’re still trying to convince my parents that we’ve never had sex. I feel like the fact that we have a child may already had tipped them off.’

Jonathan looked insulted. ‘Hey, I panicked, okay? I had this whole romantic entrance planned, and I wasn’t expecting you to be getting drunk with your mom. That’s kind of a new thing.’

She nestled under his chin. ‘A lot of things are new, as it turns out. My parents are getting divorced.’

‘Whoa, really?’ Jonathan placed his hands on Nancy’s shoulders and stepped back from her, so that he could see her face. ‘How are you feeling?’

Nancy shrugged. ‘Honestly? I don’t know. I thought I’d be happy when they finally called it quits, but it just feels really strange. Like my childhood is definitely over, y’know? There’s no going home anymore, because it’s not going to exist.’

He nodded slowly, then pulled her back in for a hug. ‘I think I get what you mean,’ he said softly. ‘I was definitely happy when my parents split up, but it was also scary in a way. Everything felt really uncertain. But it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to our family.’ He sighed. ‘Back when she and my dad were married, my mom was sort of … broken, I guess. She was always scared, not knowing what kind of mood my dad would be in the next time he came in the door or what he might do. I think he’d convinced her that she couldn’t cope without him – he’d told her so many times that she was stupid and crazy and useless and a bad mom that she’d started to believe it. And when he left, things were really tough for a while, but then she sort of … blossomed. It was like she realised that she had all this strength inside her. I think this’ll be really good for your mom. And who knows, maybe your dad will be transformed too.’

Nancy chuckled. He could feel the deep vibration of her laugh against his chest. ‘Oh my god. I just realised that if Holly has to spend weekends with him or something it’ll be the first time he’s actually spent one-on-one time with any of his kids.’ She paused. ‘Do you think Holly’ll be okay? It’s going to be a big change for her, and she’s only 9.’

‘She’ll be fine.’ Jonathan squeezed her a little tighter. ‘Trust me, she’ll be better off growing up with one happy parent than two miserable ones. Will was younger than she is when our dad left, and he and I both turned out okay.’

‘Eh, I guess,’ said Nancy.

‘You’re so mean,’ said Jonathan.  But he kissed her forehead softly and led her towards the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did this Jancy fic end up being my ode to Karen Wheeler? Whatever, I love her and I think she's really under-appreciated, in both the show and the fandom. I love the idea of her working with Hop - him thinking she'll be a pushover, and her having absolutely no time for any of his crap. Would much prefer to see her character doing something like that rather than having some tacky and gross fling.  
> Also wanted to explore some ideas about Joyce and Lonnie's relationship. Hope they don't feel too shoehorned in there.  
> Apologies for once again to defaulting to a 'fade to black'/'then they had sex' ending. I am so bad at endings!


	16. A Happy Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family celebrates Nancy's 22nd birthday, and Jonathan has some big news. Later, he catches up with an old friend.

October 1989

Nancy walked up the stairs to their apartment, lugging an armful of library books she’d borrowed for her Social Psychology paper, which was due next week. When she got to the front door, she paused as she put her key into the lock. From inside, she could hear Jonathan and Lucy talking  – not the words they were saying, but the timbre of their voices, and Jonathan laughing at something their daughter had said. Smiling to herself, she turned the key and opened the door.

‘Mommy!’ Lucy yelled, running towards Nancy and throwing her tiny arms around her mother’s legs. ‘I made you chocolate cake because it’s your birthday. Daddy helped, but just a little bit.’

‘She wanted to make sure you knew that she did all the tricky bits,’ said Jonathan, extracting the library books and backpack from Nancy’s arms so that she could scoop Lucy into a hug.

‘Thank you,’ said Nancy. ‘I’m pretty lucky to know such a great chef, huh?’

She walked into the kitchen to inspect the cake – it was slightly lopsided and covered with what looked like every single sprinkle in the state. Alongside it were two presents wrapped in yellow tissue paper – from Lucy, a framed drawing of the three of them, and from Jonathan, a delicate gold bracelet with a heart pendant.

‘Oh, Jonathan, it’s beautiful,’ she said, fastening it around her wrist. ‘Thank you.’ Reaching out with the arm wearing the bracelet, she gripped his collar and pulled him towards her for a soft kiss. ‘I love it.’

He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned back against the kitchen bench, drawing her with him. They kissed again, deeper this time, until she felt Lucy’s hands tugging on her skirt. ‘No more kissing! Cake now.’

Her parents managed to convince her to wait until after dinner for cake – it helped that Jonathan had made her favourite, lasagne. Once the three of them had sat down at the kitchen table, Jonathan said, ‘I got a call from the photo editor at the _Sun-Times_ today.’ Despite Jonathan’s pessimism, the paper had ended up hiring him for quite a few freelance jobs.

‘Oh, cool, did she have another assignment for you?’ Nancy asked as she spooned some salad on to Lucy’s plate.

‘No, actually – she offered me a job as a junior staff photographer.’

Nancy dropped the serving spoon. ‘What? Oh my god, Jonathan, that’s amazing!’

Jonathan gave that shy little half-smile that still made her melt after all these years, but he didn’t look up at her. He seemed hesitant, despite the incredible news he’d just shared. ‘Yeah, I mean – it’s exciting. But I told her I’d need to think about it. It would throw our whole schedule out of whack, and I’d be commuting into Chicago every day, and it’s actually not that much more money than the bar.’

She glared at him. ‘Jonathan Byers, don’t you _dare_ pass this up. This is what you want, right? I mean, if you’d gone to college, this is the type of job you’d be hoping to get afterwards, isn’t it?’

He nodded.

‘Then say yes! I love you so much, and I love the way that you’ve put our family first for the past three years, but you can’t put yourself last forever. We will find a way to make it work.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘You got that?’

Jonathan grinned. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

He started at the paper two weeks later.

*

That December, Jonathan was walking down Michigan Avenue on his lunch break, hoping to get a start on his Christmas shopping, when he heard a familiar voice.

‘Byers! Hey, Byers!’ It was Steve. His hair was bigger than ever, and was now offset by a _Miami Vice_ -esque t-shirt and suit ensemble. Jonathan suddenly felt self-conscious about his decidedly unstylish outfit, which was basically a slightly nicer version of the same things he’d worn in high school. ‘Byers, I thought that was you! How are you, man?’

‘I’m doing good! Nancy and Lucy are both great, and I’m working at–’

‘The _Sun-Times_ , I know. I got a lecture about it this weekend. I was visiting my parents, and Dad was reading the paper at breakfast. I spotted your name under one of the photos, and mentioned that you’d been in the grade below me at Hawkins High – which prompted my mom to launch into this whole thing about how it was nice that _some people_ are actually making something of their lives,’ Steve smiled wryly. ‘So thanks for that.’

Jonathan laughed. ‘Jesus – I had no idea I was such a role model. What are you doing that your mom’s so unimpressed with?’

‘I teach middle school gym,’ said Steve.

Jonathan couldn’t help it – he burst out laughing. Steve looked offended. ‘I’m sorry,’ said Jonathan. ‘I don’t even know why I’m laughing. That’s just – not what I expected, I guess. Why’s your mom upset, though? Teaching’s a good job.’

‘I guess she thinks it’s—I don’t know, too useful? She’d prefer me to be in sales or some shit, but I just want to be doing something that makes a difference, y’know? Something _helpful_.’

‘And gym … _helps_ people?’ Jonathan knew what Steve meant, but he couldn’t help mocking his old rival just a little bit. Since third grade he’d been firmly of the belief that gym was the dumbest subject on the curriculum.

Steve ignored him. ‘Honestly I think my mom’s real objection is that being a teacher doesn’t pay very well. The reason I was there was to interview for a job at Hawkins Middle, and she asked what they were offering. She hit the roof when she found out. But I don’t really care about money.’

Jonathan looked cynical. ‘Only a person who’s never had to worry about money would say that. But I think it’s great. Good on you for doing your own thing.’

‘Thanks, man. Oh, hey, I ran into your mom and Hopper while I was in Hawkins. What’s it like having the police chief as a stepdad?’

‘Well he’s not my stepdad yet, but it is looking pretty inevitable,’ said Jonathan. ‘He’s a good guy, and Mom seems really happy, so I’m all for it.’

They talked for a little while, catching up on news. They’d only seen each other a handful of times since Nancy and Jonathan had left Indiana. Steve was in town meeting his girlfriend Elaine’s parents. Jonathan invited them over for dinner – he knew Nancy would love to see Steve – but they were headed back to Ohio that night. Instead, he and Steve exchanged addresses and promised to actually stay in touch this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the big break between chapters. I got distracted writing another fic - which has a little bit of Jancy, but is mostly about Will developing superpowers. Aiming to complete that one before posting, to avoid forgotten-fic syndrome!
> 
> A note on Steve: At first I had him becoming a cop, since that has become such a trope, but I'm just not feeling it. He's not Hopper; he's the jock version of Mr Clarke. I think middle-school gym teacher suits his affinity with the kids, his sports fixation, and his soft, gooey centre. Plus I like the idea of him ending up somewhere that would have horrified season 1 Steve.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not American, so apologies if any of the idioms seem off! (But no apologies for not using American spelling.)


End file.
